"..." The girl blinked.
Pei Ye really did not mind a little dirty water, and the girl's skirt looked far more expensive, so he let her shelter beside him.
"How long will we be walking? Where's the Pill Auction being held?" Pei Ye asked.
"Not far, at Bowang Garden-have you been there?"
"I've been to its gates."
"It's quite beautiful inside. If we have time later, we can look around, but there'll definitely be lots of people today."
"I went when I first arrived in the Prefectural City. I'd never seen such a tall building. I wanted to climb to the top floor for a look, but they wouldn't let me."
"Oh, you mean Moon-Catching Tower. Even I've never been up to the ninth floor. It has a special name, 'Han Pavilion.'" The girl smiled. "That's where they hold all sorts of ceremonies. It only opens a few times a year. My senior brother has been up there, though. He said the view wasn't really much different from the seventh or eighth floors, but the feeling was very different."
"How did your senior brother get up there?"
"He was champion of the Winter Competition, so he received his title at Han Pavilion. The rewards for this year's Autumn Competition have been announced too. Didn't you see?"
"Oh! The Instructor read them out before, but I didn't understand what 'sweat partition' meant."
Li Piaoqing stopped, bent down to pick up a twig, and dipped it in water to write the characters for "Han Pavilion" on the wall beside them. Pointing at them, she said, "'Han' refers to writing and literary works. The ninth floor contains calligraphy left by successive prefects, which is why it has that name."
Pei Ye nodded in understanding. "I have seen that character before."
The girl murmured